War Flower
by HUMPTYGRUMPY
Summary: When Himawari knocks out her Papa, Kurama accidentally reacted to protect his host. But his impromptu decision blasted half of himself and Himawari to a past centered in gore and bloodbath. Will war traumatize the Nanadaime's baby girl or will her presence bring forth a light to the Warring State Era. TimeTravel!
1. Chapter 1

**So much anger.**

**So much hatred.**

**A madly driven avenger.**

_Magical smiles._

_Startling blue eyes._

_A believer of life._

Himawari was blinded by white-hot anger as she pointed her index finger at her paling and frightened big brother, who had plastered his back on the side wall of the stairs. All the while, she vehemently ignored the sudden change of her vision, seeing white structures around her and sensing blue lines running through her big brother's body. None of this mattered, unfortunately.

She was angry. Oh, so angry at her nii-san, and seeing those look of utter horror on his face made her want to see how he would look if she grinned at him this instant. But, no, she did not feel like smiling. She felt like knocking him out cold no matter how bad these thoughts were. It was evil. Okaa-san would not be happy about it.

But, then, Okaa-san was not here to see anything she would be committing.

Seeing a floating cotton passing over her feet, her anger flared a notch. Remembering how her favorite toy had been torn from its seams made her glare at her nii-san. She moved, barely registering her Papa rushing to intercept her attack after the few words, "Lock on" had left her mouth.

Channeling chakra to her feet, she pushed off and striked, a pathetic scream shooting off from her big brother. She felt the tip of her finger connecting to her Papa's tenketsu point instead, in which her Papa breathed out a squeaky _'Oomph!'_.

If she was in her right mind, she would have been ridden with immense guilt. But alas, there was no good and evil in her dictionary at the moment, for the loss of her favorite toy was overruling every other emotions.

However, as if time had slowed, she heard a different grunting voice from her Papa's own.

It was animalistic, guttural, totally different from her Papa's. Before her Papa could slip backwards, unconscious, having his chakra points sealed, a strong burst of red roiling chakra shot out from her father's stomach, tendrils of it wrapping rapidly around her hand, snaking from her arms to her whole body, startling her out of her mad fury.

"Pap -" She was cut off when the large amount of chakra seemed to crawl their way into her skin. It creeped around and rushed into her stomach, swirling into her chakra core like vices of warm tendrils.

Then came the searing pain.

So painful she couldn't even scream as she felt her body fall backwards, as if the world was spinning around her.

"Hima!"

She barely registered the worried cries of her brother as she gasped and twitched, before all she could see was endless darkness. But even in the cocoon of the darkness that she so welcomed over the cramping in her body, especially her stomach, she still felt as though she was being ripped and reattached, then ripped and reattached all over again and again.

A never ending cycle where pain clutched onto her mind, never loosening its grip.

But then it stopped.

Quiet.

Calm.

And no pain.

A large contradiction to how she felt earlier. She didn't mind. She welcomed it all the more as her mind failed her.

At first, she thought she was dreaming. Why? Because when she opened her eyes, a furry, large fox came into her view. It's golden eyes with a deeper shade of golden pupils stared down at her, widening as she openly stared back.

Since it seemed like a dream, she did not spare another moment before she giggled enthusiastically and flung her...pudgy, tiny arms?

She blinked, startled, taken aback, horrified, until it dawned to her that those tiny clamped hands raised above her were hers.

"Mmubublupup -" she clamped her mouth shut at the unintelligible sounds escaping her mouth.

She did not need her big brother popping out in her head and telling her to wake up and stop disillusioning herself. But what could she do? If she wanted to move her very short arm to the left, it went to the left. To the right? It went to the right. To her mouth? She suckled onto it.

With great determination, she bit onto her fat fingers. Good thing she seemed to at least have two front baby teeths. Bad thing about it was, it drew blood and...pain. Before she knew it, a frightened scream escaped her mouth and fat tears dripped out from her eyes, the fox completely ignored.

"KI-IRO! Damn you! I left only for a second and this is what I find? What did you do, you twit!" a bellowing voice shouted, but Himawari's screams and cries did not even dwindle from the sudden powerful voice.

Above Himawari, too caught up in her realization, the yellow kitsune called Ki-iro glowered at the snow-white kitsune who flicked her four-tails and slap him on the face with it.

"The hell, Shiro!?" Ki-iro growled, but he backed away, no longer sticking his face at the bundle on the ground. "I was only trying to see if the human babe woke up, and guess what, she did and she started flailing around by herself."

"Of course she will! With that face of yours, no one will be happy having an ugly face staring down on them. Move!"

A pop resounded around them as the sudden appearance of smoke evaporated away, only to reveal a white-haired woman. Himawari felt her body lift as arms gently wrapped around her. Her throat became dry and her crying finally lowered down a timber, followed now by heavy hiccups as she roamed her eyes around her.

By this, she came face to face with bright golden eyes, much like what she saw earlier, but more human than fox. And this one was looking at her fondly, with a small smile playing on her lips.

"Hey, there, kit," she said, softly. A palm rubbed circles on her back and the action painfully reminded her of her Mama who would rub her back when she had trouble sleeping at night. "It's okay, no need to be frightened. No one's going to hurt you."

HImawari's stressed mind seemed to relax from the encouragement dripping off from the stranger. And, to be honest, she knew she was fine because earlier,she had felt a warm presence envelope her when she was overwhelmed by the fear of feeling lost and confused.

She did not know who or what that was, but it felt warm and familiar, exactly what she needed right now.

Himawari cherished the gentle arms cradling her. When the woman lifted her to a more comfortable position, she finally got a look at her surroundings. The place looked too fantastical to be real.

There were trees filtered in various colors; gold, orange, red, pink and violet, and the barks were uniformly white. From the woman's right sat a yellow-furred kitsune with its..._his_ three-tails curved around him, chest puffed out, golden eyes lowered as if immersed in his own thoughts.

"I think she'll eventually need human parents," the she-kitsune turned human, Shiro, said.

"I thought you will never bring that up," Ki-iro replied, "but no human deserves to rear the kyuubi no kitsune's kit."

Himawari had no idea what they were talking about, but she persevered in listening because she knew that whatever decision would be made, it would affect her greatly. She may only be seven within and a baby in body, but she could at least understand some things even though some facts were making her head heavy.

She knew this was place was real and not a fiction of her imagination, no matter how strong and vivid her imaginations were. And being called the kit of the Kyuubi, as her Papa had once called the bijuu as Kurama, made her want to ask why.

Why would they say that? Why were they talking about giving her to people? Most importantly, why was she here? And why was she a baby?

"Giving her to a civilian family when the shinobi clans are at war is like giving her to a butcher." Shiro's lips flattened at her own words.

"You're not saying we're going to let a shinobi take care of her, are you!?" Ki-iro growled, flashing his set of canines as he bristled at the thought.

"Then what do you _prefer_, you dumbass?" Shiro snapped. "We're kitsunes! She's a human and a baby at that! Do you think she'll live past two winters before she's killed by the ever elusive weather? Or do you think civilians can win against shinobi?"

"Tsk!"

"If she's with a shinobi clan, seeing that the kit is a girl, and knowing how protective the clans are with their women, she might live long enough for us to safely take her back from the humans when she's in the right age and explain the things Gamabunta from Mountain of Myobuko has prophecied." Shiro slowly crouched down and sat comfortably on the grass.

"And who will this clan be then? Scratch the Hyuugas, their traditions are held closer to their hearts than their kin."

Hearing her Mama's clan name, Himawari's baby blue eyes shot open.

"The Uchiha's are known for their love, but they're a double-edged sword. With them feeling their emotions stronger than other clans, I have trouble considering them."

And with another familiar clan name mentioned, Himawari let out a relieved sigh in her mind. Listening to kitsunes decide who she would be adopted to, worried her to no end. But, it seemed like the family they were choosing from were actually family, so she felt immensely relieved. Their opinions of her families did not ease her worries completely though.

"Then don't," Ki-iro said as he flopped his chin down on his crossed fore-paws.

"It has to be a strong clan, away from the Clan Wars," Shiro mused. "The Uzumakis seem -"

"Stop. Right. There." Ki-iro abruptly stood up as his eyes flashed in hatred. "Don't even think about it, Shiro. How could you suggest a clan who doesn't let kitsunes sink a single paw in their land! We're sealed before we could even reach an Uzumaki family for the babe."

Himawari tried, wanted, and needed to speak. The two kitsunes had been shooting familiar names here and there and catching her own last name in their conversations. She did not know if she wanted to cry in joy or sorrow. To her disappointment, none of the two spared her incoherent baby talks a chance.

"I heard the Senjus are rolling in momentum and has been identified as one of the two strongest in the Fire country," Shiro said, her voice careful as she met Ki-iro's glare head on. "Even if they are at war, they are at least powerful enough to remain one of the strongest for years."

"You can't be serious."

"I am and we can watch over her if she crosses the borders or if she's outside the Senju compound. If any of the Senju's enemies sneaks into their land, we kill them. Simple."

Shiro and Ki-iro stared at each other, until Ki-iro sighed and looked away, saying, "Fine."

Shiro smiled wryly as Himawari gripped her collar, shaking her pudgy arm as if asking for attention. "Don't worry, kit, we'll make sure you get a great family."

Himawari did not want another great family. She already had one and there was no family that could compare to them. She really, really wanted to go home now. But, no, she was going to be shipped off in a world that was starting to scare her out of her wit.

**This is my first time writing naruto fanfiction and I hope this chapter intrigues you all. I never wrote any fanfiction in my life. This, being my first, has been inspired by the short scene of Naruto's Inauguration. **

**I love Naruto's character, but I adore his daughter, Himawari! I'm just sad that the Boruto series only shows seconds or short minutes of Himawari, main or background, it feels short. I can't get enough. I want more!**

**And a month ago, I got hooked with fanfictions of time-travel to the Warring States era. Then I got this crazy idea of sending a clueless adorable Hima-chan to that awful era of death and gore. No worries though, Himawari will still glow brightly as the sun, just like her Papa.**

***Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (we all know that). It is all Master Kishimito's work.***

**Do review! I am open to all ideas and criticism. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Himawari Uzumaki was scared for her life. The dread at the pit of her stomach was almost tangible. She didn't even realize that her breathing quickened. And she did not have the time to calm down when her two companions began running, flashing through trees and meadows like lightning.

The wind whipping at her exposed cheeks made everything a cold and sharp reality. The smell of dry leaves and chilly barks assaulted her nose. Those made things worse.

She was scared. Scared of the sensations she was feeling, scared of the truth that she refused to admit and scared that she would forget that this reality was wrong. So wrong. Very wrong.

She wanted to see her Mama. Now.

"Ki-iro, slow down. Something's not right with the kit."

She wanted her Papa to be here with her. Now.

She wanted her Nii-san to hug her and tell her everything is alright. Now.

Now or...

"What's wrong with her?" Ki-iro cocked his head, looking over his shoulder, concerned.

There was a lot of things that were wrong about her, Himawari thought. The fact that she wasn't dreaming, and however she tried to say so otherwise, made her want to beg and plead for whatever Kami there was with ears and send her back to her Papa and Mama and Nii-san.

"She looks like she's in panic," Shiro said as she placed a hand over Himawari's chest that was rising and falling in an abnormal speed.

Himawari's eyes were wide and glazed over by unshed tears, her face pale and her plumpy lips were purplish in color. Shiro frowned upon this. The kit was frightened...no, terrified, spooked in a way that looks like she was traumatized.

"Toad's balls!" Shiro cursed so loud that Ki-iro jumped in surprise, mouth opened ready to chastise the vulgar vocabulary of his partner, but he wasn't fast enough when Shiro leaped from Ki-iro's back and hurriedly yet gently laid the trembling babe onto the forest ground.

"She's in shock! Ki-iro! Summon those damn toads! Now!" Shiro barked as she laid her hands over the paling and unresponding baby, green chakra halo rose around her hands as she transferred chakra, trying to calm the baby's erratic chakra.

Shiro hissed and pulled her hands away as though she was burned.

"It seems like it Lord Kyuubi's chakra repels foreign chakras from entering the babe's body."

Ki-iro immediately spat out a scroll from his mouth, flipping it open and he bit down onto his paw, drawing trickles of blood before slamming it onto the seal on the scroll. The reaction was instant, a puff of smoke appeared and the sage couple toads came along with it.

"Sages of Mount Myobuko," Ki-iro greeted without his usual drolling voice when facing the general population of the toads, "there's a mishap with the babe and we do-"

"Sages! Over here!" Shiro shouted but with a hint of respect on her voice.

When the sage couples saw what Shiro was fretting over, their eyes minisculey widened and they hopped to where Shiro was crouched down.

"Is this the Witness human babe?" Fukasaku, with his pinched forehead asked, as Shima narrowed her eyes over the baby's pallor.

"Let me take this over, Pa," Shima said as she laid her webbed hand onto the babe's forehead matted with cold sweat.

Shima closed her eyes as she prodded the babe's chakra, and she hissed when a corrosive one blocked her access but she did not cut the connection away.

"There's a huge and deadly chakra mixed with her own core, the Kyuubi's perhaps."

"Is it the cause of her panic attack?" Shiro asked.

"No." Shima furrowed as if she was trying to concentrate on something. When a gasp escaped her aging lips, her eyes flew open but unseeing. "How...how startling!"

"You don't say," Ki-iro murmured under his breath, earning a glare from Shiro.

"Hmmm, the babe seems to be a reincarnation from another lifetime and with her reborn, she has retained her memories of her past? Future? self. This...this is such a complicated psychological problem."

"What can we do to help her, Ma? Gamamaru did prophecy her coming, carrying the Kyuubi no Kitsune's protection and the Moon's will."

"She has to let go or she will be stuck in a limbo of her memories,"

"What do you mean?" Shiro asked carefully.

"Her mind needs to be reborn, just like her soul. If not, it will hinder her purpose. Since she's been sent here as a newborn, she must be of clean slate also." Shima''s eyes remained unseeing but she continued speaking as though her attention was split. "Pa, do help me with these. We must seal her memories until the time she needs it once again."

"Of course, Ma." The other joined his partner at the other side of the unresponsive babe. Fukasaku went through an unfamiliar hand signs before gently laying his webbed hands over his partner's.

As Shiro and Ki-iro watched, with their shoulders stiff from tension, they noticed that color began to seep back onto the babe's plump face. Her lips tinting back into its natural pink color and the shaking of her tiny body gradually stilled.

When the babe's breathing slowed down to normal, the sage couples' chakra teetered to a stop. One breathed out a long-winded sigh, the other fondly stared at the babe with a grimace.

"This way the child will not be subjected to sudden panic attacks. If the Moon deems her purpose a success and she does fulfill her role as a Witness, her old memories will be unsealed."Shima ran a webbed finger over the plump cheeks of the deeply asleep human babe. "But, for now, let her be a child, untainted and still as innocent as her old life."

With that, the sage couples bid their solemn goodbyes as the two kitsunes gave their thanks in a respectful manner. The child was their kami, the Kyuubi no Kitsune's kit, so they set aside their personal distaste of the frogs and for once bowed their heads.

OXOXO

Not a day longer, the two kitsunes stopped at the edge of the Senju compound, deep in the massive forests of the Fire Country.

Even now, the babe remained in a deep sleep, sometimes along the way, she had whimpered when her stomach grumbled and Shiro would mouth-feed her with chewed fruits or berries and fresh water. Never once did the kit open those baby blue eyes that was as bright as the clear sky.

Ki-iro sniffed the air around them, yellow ears straightened up, picking up even the most minuscule sound.

Shiro stretched her own chakra, trying to sense any negative intent from the nature chakra around them. They had to be vigilant. They were in human territorial lands, a land that was broken down by war, hatred, greed and other powers roaming through these times.

They haven't been here since their kin decided to stay away from the Clan Wars. A stupid, useless, and utterly pathetic war that the kitsunes had never given a glance.

Shiro tightene the dirty brown linen around the frail and vulnerable babe, shielding her from the cold breeze brewing from the Wind Country. The temperature had dropped before the incoming of autumn, and now it was reaching to an unhealthy chilly weather, winter.

"Have you found her, Ki-iro?" Shiro mumbled, golden eyes narrowed over the thick foliage above them and the swaying branches.

"Yes, she's at their garden, a bit north from here and she's alone."

Shiro's white brows furrowed. How can the Lady of the Senju Clan be left alone in her own devices? Even if it was in their compound, they shouldn't be as relaxed and chill when anytime they could be attacked by other clans. Perhaps the Senjus became really strong that their women can walk alone by their own? Whatever the answer was, Shiro would have to see it by herself.

"Let's go," Shiro said. Ki-iro leaped to a branch and flashed out of sight, if perchance they were seen, the people would think the thing they saw was a trick of the eye or a distortion of the twilight dawning around them. Even if the Senjus had great sensors, none would pick up Ki-iro and her chakra because theirs was of nature chakra that could be anywhere or anything.

As they landed over hard pressed mud, like a feather landing as quiet as a thief, their attention were instantly drawn to the woman with long white hair, crouched over a patch of vegetation as she grasped onto a herb with tiny yellow flowers. Her red eyes were staring at a distance, unaware of the two presence a distance before her. Her eyes were tinted with unshed tears. Her face was so emotionally pained that Shiro thought the lady would break down any moment now.

When a gust of the chilly wind blew upon them, the Senju woman blinked to consciousness, wrapping her arms around her, but froze when her eyes registered two large kitsunes staring at her. She yelped, falling in her bottom.

"Peace," Shiro carefully said before the woman could scream and draw the clan's attention.

The albino lady opened her mouth, clamped it shut and opened it again as though she wanted to say something but couldn't quite grasp what it was. Her widened eyes were full of uncertain relief, fear and shock.

Seeing the lady calm down, sort of, Shiro gently moved her four tails before her, two of it were curled over a bundle as it slowly uncurled to display a sleeping babe. The lady gasped, a hand flying over her mouth and the other over her chest, shocked and startled at the sight.

Shiro's golden eyes never left hers, gauging her emotions. Shiro nodded her head in satisfaction and pushed the bundle closer towards the lady.

The lady blinked twice, confused but as if understanding the message, she nervously glanced over the two kitsunes as if asking for permission to reach out to the baby. When Shiro pushed the bundle again towards her, now a feet away, the lady finally decided to reached out, determination masking her shocked face.

Her arms gently wrapped over the tiny babe that was no more than four months old. And her heart was struck when the baby with whiskered-like cheeks smack her plumpy lips and yawned a big one. She couldn't help but smile fondly.

Another gust of wind blew, stirring dried leaves awake. Fueled with courage, she looked up, ready to ask how they got the poor baby or why they would spare one and why give the child to her, but there was no one before her, just an open space where two large kitsunes should have occupied.

She blinked, then looked around.

Empty.

As if the two legendary tailed-foxes had never been there.

But they did, they have, because the baby in her arms squirmed, which took away her attention, only to see small eyelids fluttering open to reveal bright blue eyes. It blinked a few times before her eyes cleared and sobered up.

When the babe squinted at the lady before her, she giggled, displaying her pink gums and rabbit front tooth, shaking her tiny fists above her as if she was trying to reach over the lady's face.

Hiomi Senju, Matriarch of the Senju Clan, laughed and giggled along with the baby girl as she let the tiny fist touch her face despite of the heavy tears that silently slid down her cheeks, dripping down onto the babe's forehead.

"Hello there, little flower, welcome to the Senju family," Hiomi whispered gently and the babe's giggles and baby talks grew louder around her, as if the little one was delighted by the greeting.

OXOXO

**Thank you for reading this chapter! **

**Special thank you to the following people who were intrigued by the story's premise.**

**Sorry if my chapters are only around 2k word counts. I just don't feel comfortable writing 3-4k amount of words for each chapters. If I set a standard word count for every chapters I write, it distracts me and it slows my imagination down. So, hopefully everyone understands my reasons for this.**

**Do tell me what you think about this! **

**Hint: Next chapter will star the reasons behind her time-travel and what exactly this prophecy and Witness means. **

**Warning: Rated M for violence, gore, angst, hurt, and heavy drama. Don't worry, there will surely be fluff and cute moments.**

**Do comment and PM me if you find something wrong. Or just simply for praise or your thoughts on the premise of the story.**

**Also, I'm mortified to say this but I wrote Gamabunta as the Great Sage on the previous chapter when it should have been Gamamaru. Forgive me for my mistake.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Naruto Uzumaki had seen a lot of things. He had seen life and death, happiness and sadness, health and agony, peace and war. But, not this.

When he woke up after being knocked out by his youngest, a great feat that would make him the end of a butt-joke among the Konoha Twelve (now Eleven), he found Boruto crying on his side and Hinata looking like life was sapped out off her lavender eyes.

Naruto sat up at the heart broken sight before him. He flailed and put a hand over Boruto's shoulder, shaking him gently.

"H-hey, what are you crying for?"

Boruto sniffed and his wild eyes looked up into Naruto's. Dread gripped onto his stomach as he took in how disoriented Boruto was.

"She's gone," Boruto whispered, eyes glazing as he stared off into the distance, "she's gone. She's gone. She's go.."

"Who's gone, Boruto?" Naruto asked, trying to keep his own voice calm and gentle. "Hinata, what's wrong? Who's gone? Where's Himawari?" Naruto directed his second question to Hinata who remained still on his other side of the couch in their living room. When he mentioned his daughter's name, Hinata's face morphed as though she was in immense pain before dropping her face onto her open palms, shoulders shaking uncontrollably as for the first time, an agonized cry escaped her lips.

Naruto went rigid and cold sweat traveled down his back. At the back of his mind, he had a gut-wrenching feeling. He pushed it away as he schooled his features.

"Hinata!" he exclaimed, alarmed, confused and scared for the first time in his life. Naruto slipped out of the couch and kneeled before Hinata, trying to see what was wrong by taking her palms away from her face. "Come on, tell me what's wrong. What happened?"

Hinata slowly looked up into his eyes, the tears a never-ending rain. "My baby's gone." Her voice, a whisper, but Naruto heard it clearly, sending a shiver of horror all over his body.

Naruto's heartbeat quickened as he looked around. Himawari was nowhere to be found. Naruto stood up, unleashing his bijuu mode, but faltered, almost falling down from the vertigo, unsuccessful.

"What?" Naruto prodded his chakra, startled to find only half of Kurama's inside him. And when he tried to slip into his mindscape, Kurama was asleep, knock out cold and no matter how much Naruto screamed and shouted for the tailed beast to wake up, nothing worked.

Naruto had no choice but to call out his sage mode. He ran out of their house as soon as he changed mode and without second thoughts, he flared his senses, stretching from kilometers to miles away, almost all over the Elemental Countries.

"No," he murmured, paling at his failed findings, "No! No!"

His screams caught some ANBU shinobi's attention as Naruto leaped from rooftop to another and feeling so slow, he teleported into the Hokage's office, startling the Rokudaime as piles of papers flew from the gust of wind Naruto had reared.

"Naruto?"

"Himawari's missing, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto blurted out as he paced around the room. His bandaged hand rose to his short hair as he gripped it as hard as the hard coils in his stomach. "I looked around and even used my sage mode to sense her chakra but not even the tiniest residue could be found. And Kurama's out cold! Knocked out! Ha! It's so ridiculous that I can't even...I can't…"

"Naruto! You're hyperventilating!" Kakashi was already beside him as Naruto fell to his knees with his other hand on his chest, heaving shallow breaths. "Breathe, calm down, take it slowly."

"It's my fault…" Naruto whispered, barely audible but Kakashi had heard it nevertheless. And to Kakashi's surprise, Naruto was crying. His face was scrunched up, with his eyes tightly shut in pain.

It had been a long time since he'd seen his former student cry. Never again after Neji Hyuuga had been killed (aside from the tears of joy when Boruto and Himawari were born).

"Naruto, take your time, breathe and then slowly tell me what happened." Kakashi led Naruto onto a chair before his massive desk and seeing as the hero of the Shinobi World had calmed a notch, his cerulean eyes no longer looking so wild and lost (but it was still there) at least it wasn't up to the point where he was about to lose his mind.

Kakashi eyed the littered paper all over his desk and the floor. He inwardly sighed and noted in his mind to call some assistant to help him gather the papers later on, right after he got to listen about this new ordeal that confused him, _worried_ him. Especially when it was about one of his cute former student's children that were like his own family too.

After plopping down onto his own chair, he laid his elbows over his desk and interlaced his fingers before giving his undivided attention to the heart broken father whose head was lowered, and eyes unseeing.

It must have been a few minutes before, with a gulp, Naruto finally met his eyes and slowly began telling the tale of what had transpired hours ago. Kakashi would have been amused by what he had heard when Naruto told him about him being knocked out cold by his daughter, but Kakashi knew it wasn't appropriate and the end result wasn't amusing altogether. And then Naruto's face fell when he said he woke up and found his family crying over the lost of their own.

"I'm confused, Kakashi-sensei. She just vanished. Not even a residue of her chakra could be sensed. And what's more confusing is the fact that Kurama is not his full self again."

"What do you mean by that?" Kakashi perked up, finally getting something to work out with the mysteries behind the disappearance.

"It's like...it feels like Kurama reverted back into his old self, not his personality, no. It's his power, his chakra. It's broken up into half."

"Does it feel like the time before Minato-sensei gave the other half back to you?"

"Yes! Just like that." Naruto's eyes seemed to get a bit of spark back into his cerulean eyes as he looked at Kakashi hopefully, "You think it has something to do with the fact that half of Kurama is also gone?"

Kakashi frowned slightly as he carefully assessed the situation. "I can't give you any facts yet Naruto, but I have a feeling Kyuubi's other half had vanished along with Hima-chan. If you can't sense her chakra, she must have been wrapped in Kyuubi's chakra cloak before she vanished. It is a good thing that she was born from you or else she might have been charred. But the question is, where did they go?"

"That's just it Kakashi-sensei, if they were transported in some place, no matter where in this continent, I would have known. I...there's, they're nowhere around the Elemental Continent."

Kakashi's jaw clenched.

"If not here in our place. Then…" Kakashi's eyes sparked as he held Naruto's concerned ones. "...what about other dimensions? We do know they exist, like when I fought Obito, and you and Sasuke battled Kaguya."

"You're right! But...we need Sasuke for the dimension hopping though. I can teleport myself but I can't open this rifts in space."

It was a stretch and a good assumption, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. At least they had some ideas.

"I'll dispatch a letter to Sasuke, it's also time he shows his face, and meanwhile, be alert when Kyuubi awaken, he might have a clue for us. With that, go back home, Naruto. Hinata-chan and Boruto-kun needs you there."

"...yes, sensei." Naruto nodded and disappeared as fast as he appeared.

XOXOX

That night had been a long, silent and mournful time for the Uzumaki family. Naruto had succeeded in reassuring his wife and son with a hopeful news about their findings with the Rokudaime.

In one of Boruto's bouts of crying, his son had been blaming himself for Himawari's disappearance. He kept saying that if he hadn't made his sister go mad, none of this would have happened. It took yellings (mostly his son) and sheer patience to make Boruto understand that none of this was his fault. How could he have known something like this would happen? If Naruto had known, he would have pacified Himawari before they went out of the house.

Naruto was in pain as much as his wife and son were, but he had to school his emotions because he was the anchor for his family.

Kakashi had told Naruto that this had to be kept as an S-class secret. Naruto understood the implication about it. It wasn't normal for a person to just disappear without any trace or reason. And Naruto would kill the perpetrator if ever it had been orchestrated by _someone_. This was a sick thing to do to a child, and a very wrong move against him, Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure.

That night, one ANBU came knocking on his window, informing him that the Hokage had summoned him. Naruto was eager to go, so he arrived at the Hokage's office faster than his escort.

"What is it? Did you find something?" Naruto blurted out without acknowledging the other presence within the office.

"Sit down, Naruto," Kakashi said as he motioned his head towards the two sage toads standing on the desk.

Startled, Naruto said, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Evening to you too, Naruto-boy." Fukasaku nodded.

"It seems that the great toad sages has something to tell you...us about Himawari-chan's disappearance." Kakashi informed as he narrowed his eyes onto the toad couple who seemed undeterred by the suspicious looks Kakashi was shooting at them.

"We have almost forgotten about this thing, Naruto-boy. We have...let's say, been told by lord Gamamaru that it is time for you to know about Hamura's decree and the Moon's will."

"Tell me…" Naruto could hear his heart racing and the dread in the pit of his stomach strengthened and grew to unbelievable heights. If this was connected to one of the Sage of the Six Paths, he knew this was not something to take idly.

"You see, as Hamura has promised to his twin brother, Hagoromo, he will watch and observe the world of Shinobis on Earth for a millennia. He will continue to watch and when that time is up and their mother hasn't broken out of her sealing, then he can be rest assured that the Shinobi World Hagoromo created was in good hands."

"But how can he watch things when he lives on the Moon? And that he is already dead?" Kakashi asked, curiosity lacing his voice.

"You see, Hamura is very well adept in Fuinjutsu and he can teleport himself on Earth and on the Moon as he sees fit. But, since he is also mortal, he will go to the other side like any other mortal. But his spirit, his chakra, can live through time and space.

"But, he needed to record the turning point of events in the history and so, he chose some special people that could record them. Witnesses, is what they are called. A descendant of Hamura here on Earth is usually chosen to observe the goings and comings of important events in our history."

"The only descendant of Hamura Otsutsuki that we know of is the Hyuugas." Kakashi pointed out, the clogs in his head moved around as he began to see the point.

"I don't understand," Naruto quipped. Actually, he did get the feeling he did understand what they were saying. He just wished that their clarification would say otherwise.

The toad sages solemnly looked at Naruto. One shook her head, the other sighed. "I won't sugarcoat things Naruto-boy and as much as I hate this, I have to deliver this message. Himawari-chan, as we have heard, has vanished, yes? And a century back, we've seen her with our own eyes."

Naruto's heart dropped and he could tell that Kakashi was as shocked as he was. Silence. And then, something snapped inside him. Naruto's well kept coolness and calm vanished in the blink of an eye.

"What the hell! This is not _funny_. Are you trying to say that my daughter is a Witness? Why would Hamura _choose_ her!? There are a lot of Hyuugas out there and my daughter doesn't even have pure Hyuuga bloodline!"

"But she has unparalleled and pure chakra as her mother, doesn't she?"

"Wha…!?" Naruto was cut off as he remembered Hinata telling him that she had received Hamura's chakra when they were on a mission on the Moon. The boiling anger and fear in his chest vaporized, replaced with a feeling of defeat as he unceremoniously sat back down onto the chair. The searing tears at the back of his eyes began to take over him again as Fukasaku spoke again, softly this time.

"Naruto-boy, I don't want to make things worse but I have to tell you everything lord Gamamaru has told us. It is unfortunate that your daughter has been chosen as the seventh Witness of Shinobi of the Moon, especially when she has been sent at the Warring States period."

"What?" Naruto's head snapped to glare at Fukasaku. He knew it was no one's fault but Hamura fucking Otsutsuki. He just couldn't reign in his emotions at bay any longer. Not when the news were filled with life-threatening context.

Naruto couldn't help but ground his teeth when he said, "Don't tell me my daughter is out there _right now_ in a time where the Uchiha fucking Madara psycho is _alive?_"

Kakashi would have admonished Naruto of his actions and words, but he couldn't do it. Naruto had the right to be angry and...fearful, a sight he had never seen on his former student. He couldn't blame him for it. It was hard for Kakashi too, knowing that such an innocent child as Himawari had to be plunged into the clan wars era where children no less than six had to kill to survive.

This was terrible. No, _horrifying_ for the Uzumaki family.

XOXOX

**Well, there goes another chapter! Sorry for the grammar errors, I have no beta and English is not my mother tongue. (I'm Asian) **

**And I wrote this as fast as I can because of HimeChan32 who gave an awesome review/comment, which boosted up my motivation for this chapter, same goes to the increase of followers. Thank you so much.**

** HimeChan32 **It so happened that my drafts for this chapter is Naruto's POV (which makes your wish a dream come true). Enjoy and thank you for your support.

**PLEASE REVIEW! (it might make me write faster and think swiftly for the next chapter).**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Of all the seven years that Tobirama Senju had lived, the largest chakra reserve he had ever sensed from a _human_, which the adults could not even rival, was his big brother's.

Hashirama's chakra was powerful (although Tobirama could not understand why, since Hashirama had never shown any jutsu that was heaven-breaking). Nevertheless, his brother's chakra was warm, like the heat of summer, calming and it makes one feel more alive.

Today, however, he accidentally sensed something...abnormal. A chakra so massive it felt endless. _Potent_. One that seemed to overwhelm Tobirama's five senses, causing him to skid to a stop, breaking out of the formation Butsuma had drilled into them (if they were outside the Senju compound).

This action of his did not go unnoticed by his companions.

Each one of them knew Tobirama's excellent skill to sense chakras countries away, and seeing his usually stoic face twist into confusion made them fall into a defensive formation. The team of five took out their katana, kunai and shuriken, eyes skimming suspiciously over the rustling foliage of the trees above them and the thickets scattered on the forest floor.

Tobirama reigned over his emotions as he narrowed his eyes at a direction to their north. In his peripheral, he noticed his brother, Hashirama, land to the branch he was crouching at.

"Tobi? What's wrong?" Hashirama asked, his usual goofy and constant smiley face gone, replaced by a concerned expression.

"The...compound," Tobirama murmured beneath his breath as his scarlet eyes steeled.

Butsuma snapped his head towards their destination as if he could see what Tobirama was sensing.

"Let's go," Butsuma said as all of them picked up their speed. Although Tobirama was the smallest among them, his chakra control and stamina was as good as any adolescent shinobi.

It was strange. Tobirama had only tried seeking out his clan's chakras and make sure that their path was clear of ambushes as they headed back to their home from an assassination mission. He never expected to find _this_.

Unlike Hashirama's chakra, _this_ one was blazing hot. _Corrosive_. Like the unmerciful heat of an arid desert...but worse.

"Tobirama." Butsuma's voice cut through his thoughts, "report."

Having been called, he slipped into the center of the formation. "There's a foreign chakra within our compound. A new presence that has never been there before. It's surprisingly massive and it reeks of..._animosity_."

"Can you estimate the size of this chakra and how many they are?" Butsuma asked, his low and commanding voice reaching everyone's ears despite of the cool wind that whipped against them.

"Yes, but it seems to be singular, Father."

It even felt...familiar. Like the monstrous tailed beasts' chakras that he sometimes noticed when he tried to sense people as far as he can. But he couldn't tell which tailed beast it was since he had never encountered any of the nine. This, he did not want to tell the others since he had no clear evidence. It was a waste of time telling them assumptions when it was not a definite fact.

But, alas, his Father did not share his sentiments as Butsuma preferred to hear this kind of assumptions for 'safety measurements' as he had once told him.

"How dangerous is this person?"

"As dangerous as...tailed beasts." His companions snapped their attention at him, doubtful. But, they knew Tobirama (or more like his Father and his brother knew him well enough to know that Tobirama does not lie). And most of Butsuma's men trusted Tobirama with their lives despite of being barely eight.

Now, they held mixed emotions of confusion, wonder and fear of what they would find when they arrive. However, something did not add up right. This was what confused Tobirama. Everyones chakra in the compound was complete, calm and not...agitated. And _this_ foreign chakra was stationary as though it was asleep.

If you would ask him what he was feeling at the moment, it was not fear. It was utter wonder and immense curiosity. This unknown entity was a subject he could dissect and study, an addition to his collection of theories and possibilities.

"Friend or foe?" Butsuma asked as the trees ahead of them parted and revealed the walls of the Senju compound.

"Hard to tell, Father."

Tobirama gritted his teeth as Butsuma sent him a glare of admonishment for not being able to assess things just from the information he'd gathered from the chakra signature.

As soon as the gate cracked open for them, Hashirama and Butsuma flared their own chakra to find the unwelcome intruder. Despite not having the same range as Tobirama, the two were also skilled sensors. So, when they _did_ feel what Tobirama had been talking about, their blood ran cold.

They had never felt anything so foul and _searing_.

Dread clutched onto their hearts when they realized where the chakra was. It was residing at their own house.

Speechless, the two (being the fastest among the group) raced towards their house, sitting at the top of a small hill, overlooking their whole clan.

Not only was the chakra heavy, it was abominable. _Oppressive_. And they could barely keep themselves from trembling before it. But they had to find out what it was. Their whole clan would be in danger if it was left unnoticed.

Butsuma even commended Tobirama for withstanding such foul chakra when his core hadn't even matured yet.

Upon seeing their own house, they halted when they saw people shouting and knocking at the wooden gate that led into their courtyard. Both father and son recognized the gathered men, shinobi sensors, who had also noticed their arrival.

One brightened up but the seriousness in his face did not go away.

"Lord Butsuma!" he called out, running towards their Clan Head before bowing. "There's an emergency and a state of crisis."

"Explain."

Hashirama glanced at their house and walked towards the wooden gate. He tried opening it but it was locked from the inside. This would have kept everyone away, but as a shinobi, this was barely a barrier.

"Lady Hiomi wouldn't let us in. We tried telling the house maids that there is danger within the household but they would only listen to the Lady Matriarch. We tried...breaking in, but she had put up a seal to keep everyone out, specially those who harbors killing intent or suspicious thoughts."

Hashirama had a feeling the seal came from the Uzumaki clan. It must have been one of the many given to them as a gift that honors their alliance and friendship. And having his Mother use it against their own clan was a mystery...treason even.

He did not want to think about the meaning of this or the consequences of her actions.

Hashirama looked up to his father who glared at the gate. Or was it through the gate and towards the Matriarch? He grimaced.

"I can go in," Tobirama blurted out beside him. Hashirama glanced at his little brother whose face remained neutral. "I know this seal. It shuts out people who only holds negative thoughts or feelings to someone who lives within the sealed area."

"And why do you think you can go in, Tobirama and not your brother?" Their father's voice made the two meet his intense stare.

"I read the seal before and it has loopholes, obvious ones. Since I understand the seal better and hold no negative emotions over a person on the other side of the wall then I can enter without getting thrown the other hand, Hashirama may look like a friend and a brother of practically _everybody_, he definitely has his serious and unmerciful side when it comes to his family and clan's safety."

This, Tobirama was contently sure, confident over his own words because he understood his brother and his own self and the way they both think.

Tobirama was pragmatic.

He does not conclude without seeing the subject in concern first.

XOXOX

Lady Hiomi was well aware of the riot and growing tension outside of her house. When one of the Senju shinobi had come and warned her of a danger worse than the Uchihas and asked for her permission to look around, she had roasted the man and unceremoniously let her maids throw the him outside. Afterwards, she had taken a scroll and used a seal she had been eyeing when her husband told her about it. She may be weak and frail now, _dying_ even, but she had been a shinobi once in her life.

She knew what the man had been referring to. How could she not understand when she'd seen two legendary kitsunes with three and four tails in her own garden, delivering the lovely babe? How could she let those men take such an innocent soul just because the babe's chakra was a bit strange. Well, not 'a bit', it was _strange_ but because of her exposure to the kitsunes, maybe her chakra signature changed, which makes her immune to corrosive chakras.

Oh, well, Lady Hiomi did not care.

All she cared about was whether the babe was feeling comfortable in her new environment or if she was well fed.

She glanced down at the bundle in her arms as the baby girl stretched her chubby arms over her head, while her cheeks puffed out and her eyes blinked here and there. When those cerulean eyes opened widely and the slowly forming smiles appeared, which seemed to be ever present on her sunny face, Lady Hiomi couldn't supress a chuckle as she cooed over the babe. How could she not when the child was so cheerful and contagiously so. Just like her first born son.

She grimaced as her heart clenched once again. Remembering her sons, Hashirama and Tobirama, made her depressed and scared all day. Especially this past few days when Butsuma had insisted Tobirama, who just turned seven, to join their mission from a high-standing Lord, which took a week to be completed.

A loud and careless footstep took her attention away from her darkening thoughts. Looking over the paper screen, it rattled open as her four-year-old son, Kawarama, tumbled over his short legs.

"Okaa-san!" he greeted, a huge grin gracing his face as he ran to her side, while a pouting Itama, just a year older than Kawarama, followed behind his little brother.

"Sorry, Okaa-san, Kawarama wouldn't stay still and study his katas. He said he wanted to see you and Hima-chan..._again_." Itama reasoned, his mismatched hair sticking to his forehead because of the sweat he had produced from his extensive training.

"Ooh! Hima-chan's awake, Itama-nee!"

Itama's eyes brightened up as he rushed to Lady Hiomi's other side, opposite of Kawarama. Their mother secretly chuckled at Itama's actions as, in fact, he just wanted to see their baby sister too.

"Uwaah, her eyes are so blue! Can I hold her, Okaa-san?" Kawarama pleaded with his large, brown eyes as he clutched onto Lady Hiomi's arm.

"I'm sorry, dear, we must be very careful with her because she is still so small and she can't balance herself well yet," Lady Hiomi said and Kawarama's face fell, "but...I can put her down so you can play with her."

With this, Kawarama shouted in joy while Itama couldn't keep his eyes away from the baby girl who was sucking onto her thumb while mumbling unintelligible words.

When Lady Hiomi had come home last night, Itama and Kawarama fell in love at first sight at the babe in her arms, especially her bouts of giggles and her clear blue eyes.

They had asked her what the babe's name was and all she could think of were 'sunflowers', especially with the way the little girl's face brightened up like the sun, so in other words, she called her Himawari. Itama and Kawarama agreed with the babe's name. The boys wouldn't even go back to their own room late that night until they had to be dragged away by the maids with promises that they would see her again the next day.

She was glad, happy, in joy that her two sons liked her. The problem was, would her husband and her older sons like little Himawari-chan, too? This had been in her mind ever since last night.

After Lady Hiomi laid Himawari on the futon, she peeled the other linens away so the babe could move around and play. Itama waved his hand over Hima's face and she snatched his index finger with good agility and placed it into her mouth, sucking it with gusto. Itama laughed, ticklish, but he did not pull his finger away. When Hima heard his laugh she returned it with giggles, her voice so innocent and warm that seemed to reverberate over the wooden walls.

"Me too! Me too!" Kawarama insisted as he hovered over Hima.

"Mother?" A voice called out, uncertain, as he pulled the shoji door open.

"Welcome home, Tobirama." Lady Hiomi smiled fondly at her second son, her carbon copy, except for the stoic and expressionless face that was ever present. "Come meet your new sister, Himawari-chan."

"Tobi-nee! Come see her! She's so pretty and so chubby!" Kawarama cried out as he stood up from his crouch and ran to Tobirama's side and then pulled on the bigger boy's arm.

Lady Hiomi observed Tobirama's face, despite of the boy putting up walls on his emotions, as a mother, she could still pick out the slight cracks on the boy's face. Tobirama was _completely_ confused as he eyed the baby that watched him back with large, watery eyes. As if on cue, the little girl released Itama's finger and reached her small hands to Tobirama's direction.

"That's not fair!" Kawarama shouted while Itama nodded in agreement, looking jealous over their big brother. "Why does she want Tobi-nee to carry her when she did not even do that when she met me and Itama-nee last night!?"

"Now, now, Kawarama-dear, it only means that Hima-chan is smart enough to know that she'll be safe with her big brother, Tobi, for he can balance her very well in his arms, don't you think so too, Tobi?"

A slight crease appeared on her son's face but it vanished as soon as he glanced at her inquisitingly.

"Mother, who is...she?" Tobi asked instead, ignoring the unintelligible whines of the babe that seemed to be on the verged of tears for being ignored.

"She's your baby sister, Tobi. A very very blessed little girl that needs our _protection_." Lady Hiomi said as she met Tobirama's cool gaze without wavering. "If you have passed through that door without repercussions, then that would mean you understand what I'm saying, right? I am very happy that you hold no negative feelings over her, but your father and the rest of the clan might." Lady Hiomi's scarlet eyes softened as it glazed over with solemn sadness, "Do help me make them accept her, will you?"

Tobirama's heart softened at his mother's pleading gaze. He had always been weak when it comes to their mother. This was no exception. He knew just how depressed and heart broken she was over the fact that all of her sons were taken away from her to be fighters and killers at the age of six. He had wished he could make it up to her.

And now was an opportunity he could not dismiss.

Tobirama glanced back over the babe with indigo hair (a strange color), cerulean eyes and cheeks with two whisker-like scars or birth mark? Very strange indeed. Perhaps having a girl in the family would sooth their mother's mind and heart, giving her some peace for once.

The child seemed alright on the outside; sweet, innocent and cheerful. But Tobirama could not ignore what was _inside_ her.

He could not imagine how a babe could have such large reserves and hot-searing chakra.

"Is there something wrong, Okaa-san?" Itama asked worriedly as he glanced at Tobirama and their mother, who flashed him a pained smile.

As if feeling the tension weighing down on the people within the room, baby Hima's lips fell and a whimper escaped her mouth before she full-on wailed.

Startled, Tobirama automatically kneeled down and wrapped her within his arms before standing and gently rocking his arms. He blinked, he had done it again.

It was partly his little brothers' fault. Because of them, he was known as the second mother of the two boys. He grew up taking care of the them since their mother could not be accessed because of her illness.

Tobirama was about to sigh in defeat when he suddenly stilled as his own chakra assessed the one he was carrying. Coincidentally, Himawari halted crying, only sniffing and hiccuping here and there, feeling content by the arms around her.

But the boy holding her had his eyes slightly widened as he snapped his attention onto the babe's face as the new information in his head were being processed.

"Tobi?" Lady Hiomi asked, face worried as she tried to stand up but fell back when her body could not muster up the strength.

"She's…" Tobirama's shocked face locked eyes with his mother, who desperately searched his face. "She's a _Hyuuga_ and an..._Uzumaki_."

XOXOX

**Ummm, haha, yeah, it's been weeks, hasn't it? Took me a while. I know. And I do not want to make excuses but if you want to know why it took me this long then read on.**

"**My internship had just begun two weeks ago and it was taking up all of my time (along with sleep hours) because my days were absolutely **_**tiring**_** (and it will go on till the third week of July)."**

**Warning: My internet connection sucks. Our dormitory doesn't have any signal. It's because the mining company and the on-site location is at the top of an isolated mountain. (I cry: why'd I choose this?). But, sometimes, my signal will grace me at the right place and time.**

**It took me three days to write this chapter (see, I can write in such a short time, so why did it took so long? Well, again, look up). So sorry fellow fans of Naruto out there reading this piece of colorful idea from me.**

**Do ENJOY! This seems to be longer than the previous chapters though.**

**And guess what! I AM SO HAPPY WITH THE REVIEWS SO FAR. I am so honored to have readers like you guys. And no worries, I take into account your ideas and wishes since I also agree with everything you guys had suggested. (AND ARE YOU GUYS READING MY MIND?) I guess that just shows how simple my fanfiction cravings are. Some fluff, cute moments, and perhaps identity crisis.**

**I have to warn the others who are looking forward for character-saving parts because you might get disappointed and I don't want to do it so suddenly without warning.**

**Again, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE 700+VIEWS AND 20+FOLLOWS AND 14+FAVORITES AND THE 16+WONDERFUL REVIEWS!**

**I CAN'T WAIT for WARFLOWER to RECEIVE MORE LOVE! Thank you.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"What in the Shinigami's name is _this_?" Butsuma's voice erupted as soon as he set foot into the room.

Hashirama walked around his father and poked his head over the shoji door. His face brightened up when he saw his adorable brothers, safe and sound, sitting on each side of the Lady Matriarch, with all their eyes narrowed at the Head of the Senju clan.

Hashirama would have guffawed and cooed over those small faces looking so defensive over a...small bundle in their beautiful mother's arms? Hashirama inclined his head, ignoring their parent's silent war as he soundlessly tiptoed towards the Matriarch.

"Eh?" he spoke as his eyes locked with the brightest and bluest ones he had ever seen.

"Eh?" the baby imitated.

"Huh?" Hashirama dumbly blinked a few times, breaking the tension away with his loud voice, unintentionally grabbing everyone's attention. "It's a _baby_!" he shouted, pointing his finger accusingly.

Bustuma's eyebrow twitched as he glanced over the squirming...thing...but all he could see was a tuff of indigo hair poking through the linens.

"Welcome home, dears," Lady Hiomi said coolly, softly redirecting Hashirama's finger away from baby Hima's forehead as she met Butsuma's line of sight, unwavering.

"You did not answer my question." Butsuma growled, ominously stepping into the room and slamming the shoji door shut.

"You did not say 'I'm home'."

"Get rid of _that_ thing," he said with no room left for arguments. But his wife had always been a veteran at ignoring orders, rules and regulations and Butsuma's were no exception.

"And why is that, if I may, dear?"

Another twitch on Butsuma's brow. "This is no _game_ or a joke or a foolish thing, _honey," _he replied back, refusing to be the mouse in this chase of words and reason. "I believe you might have noticed the danger _that_ thing poses. If you do, do help me and your sons keep the Senju clan _safe_."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of a babe?" Lady Hiomi feigned a shocked face, bringing her free hand over her mouth, "Is that why you refuse to make more with me?"

Tobirama mentally rolled his eyes at their Matriarch's words, while Hashirama sported a dumbly confused face. Their father, a barely noticeable blush of embarrassment graced his frowning face.

Butsuma's jaw visibly tightened. His mouth opened and closed, no words to shoot.

Seeing this, the Matriarch dropped her carefree facade as she glared at her husband in the most sophisticated way.

"Dear, you did not just expect me to abandon an innocent child of barely a year old for the beasts or inhuman shinobis out there to gut her out, did you?" Lady Hiomi asked with a barely concealed disappointment.

At this, Butsuma remembered to put on his stoic mask once again as he narrowed his eyes at his wife.

"You should understand this the most, Hiomi. I am doing this for the sake of our clan! Imagine what will happen if that child is set loose and the demon inside her wrecks not only the Senjus but might as well every clan it encounters!"

"If it's the demon you are so afraid of, putting a seal on her to keep the demon at bay might help, and considering that we are so closely knitted with the Uzumaki clan, for your information, is her lineage, they will surely do something that will help their kin."

"What did you say?" The shock on Butsuma's face rattled his stone-hard mask.

Seeing this, Lady Hiomi sighed gravely.

"Recently, Tobirama has graciously informed me that Hima-chan is of the Uzumaki clan," she said with a sad smile, ignoring the fact that she had omitted the babe's other lineage.

Lady Hiomi had warned Tobirama not to tell anyone that Himawari was also of Hyuuga clan. Her reason was enough to convince her boy since he too was well aware of the Hyuuga's culture. Lady Hiomi knew the Hyuuga's were a closed off group that did not share or breed outside their clan. If one of the Hyuuga's did, execution was the highest degree of punishment. She was thankful Himawari seemed to have had inherited her Uzumaki parent's blue eyes.

"Is that true?" Butsuma looked over Tobirama's face and the boy's nod was all it took to verify his question.

"Tell me where and how you found her," he asked his wife.

"The garden." Seeing her man and boys' unconvinced looks, she mentally chuckled while strictly saying, "Believe it or not, she'd been delivered to me by two kitsunes."

At this, her audiences gasped in their own special way. Her first born and two youngest sons gasped in awe, her carbon-copy only did his mentally, while her husband's face was comically expressionless.

"Those creatures had never shown themselves for hundreds of years, why now?" Tobirama spoke, narrowing his eyes on Himawari's whisker-like birthmark. "Her parents must have been well linked with the kitsunes, to be protected as if she were a trea…ah, I see."

"What is it, Tobi? What did you find!?" Hashirama asked excitedly as he scooted closer to his brother.

"Tobirama?" Butsuma prodded, while Lady Hiomi hid her own eagerness.

"It seems that Hima-chan is the one who has a _link_ and not her parents."

"What do you mean, dear?" Lady Hiomi patiently asked.

"To be escorted by the kistunes themselves, it is not something you see everyday. Why would they specifically deliver her? Who else would it be that Himawari seems closely related to? If not some certain tailed-beast who is worshipped by packs of kitsunes?"

"The nine-tailed fox," Butsuma said and Tobirama nodded. "An Uzumaki woman had birthed a babe who possesses the Kyuubi's chakra. No _wonder_."

When Lady Hiomi saw a glint, schemes forming in Butsuma's head through his eyes, she froze. She knew that look. Everytime Butsuma sported such expression, she would loose her time with her sons to shinobi scuffles and wars.

"Don't even think about it, Butsuma." Lady Hiomi shot him a furious glare, earning a taken aback look from him. "You had already taken _my_ sons away from me and had shed them of their innocence at such a young age. _Don't_ take anymore than you already have!"

Only when a soft, pudgy hand land on Lady Hiomi's cheek did she realize that her eyes felt wet and hot. Looking down, baby Hima's face was silently staring at her as if the child could see straight through her.

Butsuma watched her wife bury her face on the side of the wrapped babe as her frail shoulders shook. His heart twinged at the display. He had never seen her look so heartbroken and in so much pain.

Hashirama felt an immense sense of sadness when he saw his mother broke down. In response, he immediately wrapped his arms over her, followed by two more pairs of smaller arms, and then lastly by their most mature brother, Tobirama.

"Okaa-san, please don't cry," Itama said with a shaky voice.

"We're here, Mama." Kawarama wailed, making Hashirama break into sobs too, while Tobirama remained quietly solemn.

Butsuma exhaled loudly and glared like a child at his wife and his children, his mask, his stoic face stumbled down completely. If his clan and especially the Elders saw this, they would think their own clan was coming to an end.

Kawarama, Itama and Hashirama sniffed as they glanced up at their father who came forward, not understanding a bit of what was happening. While the smartest of the boys shook his head at their father. Tobirama could not blame their father since even he was weak to the only woman (which might change now) in their lives.

"At least tell me why I should let the child live among us and not ship her off to our ally." Butsuma's voice was soft and indulgent, successfully earning his lovely wife's attention.

Lady Hiomi's glistening eyes looked startled at his words, but she recovered back just as fast.

She smiled and pulled Butsuma towards them, joining her and their sons for a family hug, their very first and...last.

OXOXOXO

Sasuke Uchiha had been dragged back home without warning. It was one of those infuriating moments when Naruto really did push his luck with Sasuke's rejuvenating patience. They almost had another epic battle. Almost.

Sasuke's irritation fizzled immediately when he did get a good look at his best friend when they had both arrived through teleportation at the Hokage's office in the middle of the night.

Naruto looked like _death_. His usually overly bright eyes looked dull and unseeing, his cheeks were slim and hollow and his tanned skin lost its vibrancy.

"Dobe, you're not even the Hokage yet. What kind of work have you been doing lately that paperwork is knocked out of its honorable position of being the most tiring job in the shinobi world?"

To add to Sasuke mental shock, Naruto simply smiled slightly before slumping down onto one of the chairs placed before the Hokage's table. Sasuke raised a slim brow, the one covered by his long bangs hanging over his left face as he sat at the other unoccupied chair.

"Welcome back, Sasuke," Kakashi said as his eyes crinkled, probably a smile. Sasuke nodded in reply.

"It would have been good to be back if I was warned beforehand."

"Well, since Sakura-chan will be surprised by your return, then shouldn't we at least do the same to you?"

He did not reply.

"Actually," Kakashi's mischievous eyes vanished, replaced by a serious one as he rested his chin over his interlocking hands. "We have called you back due to an emergency. A life and death situation that nobody could stop except for you."

"That's surprising." Sasuke glanced at Naruto who had remained quiet. "You're saying Naruto couldn't even lift a finger over this situation?"

"I can't," Naruto said with clenched jaw as he met Sasuke's deep set of eyes. "Sorry for dragging you here, Sasuke. I know you're currently looking into the Otsutsuki Clan but I really need your help on this one."

Sasuke had seen Naruto plead numerous times to him. Pleading for him to come back home, pleading for him to let Naruto into his life, pleading for him to tell the dobe what was wrong, but it was the first time for him to see Naruto plead to Sasuke to save someone.

This, for the first time he relented.

"What happened?"

The fact Sasuke was asking was enough of a confirmation that he was going to help. This, Kakashi was grateful for.

After everything had been relayed to him, Sasuke glanced back at Naruto who had remained solemn throughout the retelling of the events a week ago.

"Has Kurama woken up yet?" he asked softly, trying to be considerate to his best friend. Despite not being close to his own daughter due to varied reasons, Sasuke had parents before and losing them was enough to shake his world, so he knew quite well how Naruto felt.

"No," Naruto replied. "It feels like he had spent a lot of chakra, enough to knock him cold."

"And that's why both of you're asking me to jump through space and time?"

"Yes." Naruto shot him a pleading look. "Hima is not...is _just_ a toddler, and being a Witness in the Warring State period is like offering your soul to the Shinigami. This may be Hamura's Will but there has to be something that we can do to protect her from the scuffles of war."

Sasuke had to admit, Madara and Hashirama's time was unforgiving. Cruel.

_No_, that wasn't right. _Whatever_ time it is, the world always had a way to slap cruelty at people's face. Sasuke and Naruto and many others more were proof of that.

"It has been a week, the two of you must have planned something." Sasuke inwardly sighed, giving in. Well, it didn't hurt to repay the Dobe for pulling his sanity back into place and for making him realize that there were more things in this world than power and selfish desires.

"We did and we've been thinking of a plan." Kakashi began, "But nothing is definite. It's just a theory."

"As long as you have more than a zero possibility, a chance is a chance."

Naruto eyed Sasuke before chuckling in amusement. "Wow, Teme, I knew you were poetic but that's the first time you've said something very..._positive_."

Kakashi's eyes crinkled in amusement at the familiar frown on his former student's face and how very nostalgic the moment felt.

"Since it seems like you're interested and it can't hurt to try. As you all know,Himawari-chan has her mother's purity in chakra as Hamura's descendant, we...hmmm, _you_, Sasuke, might be able to trace Himawari-chan's chakra by following the trails she and probably Kyuubi had left when they were taken through time. I believe you've at least registered Hinata-chan's chakra signature since she's your best buddy's wife, right?"

Sasuke frowned. Now that Kakashi had said it, he had a vague image of a stuttering girl that turned into a teenager and into a woman. Sasuke had never really spoken or even made a single conversation with the Hyuuga. So, he'd never really given her chakra signature the time to be analysed.

With his silence, Naruto narrowed his eyes at him.

But, Sasuke had heard a lot of mushy things about Naruto's _girlfriend_ whenever Sasuke had time to meet up with the Dobe outside the village. And as a friend, he did have the decency to register the Hyuuga's chakra signature. But what surprised him was the fact that Hinata Hyuuga had pure chakra as him and Naruto. He really should have paid more to his surroundings.

"I am _aware_ of the Hyuuga's chakra. What's the essence of having a sharingan and a mangekyo and a rinnegan if I could _not_ remember the Hidden Leaf's people."

"That's good to hear because you will have to seek Hima-chan's chakra, which is similar to her mother," Kakashi said.

"Hn."

"Thanks, Sasuke." Naruto flashed him a grateful grin and Sasuke ignored how shaky it looked.

"Hn."

And so, another long nights and days of preparation had begun.

XOXOXOX

"Seems like everything's been set. Are you ready, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked as he signaled the ANBUs to take their positions behind Naruto, who was standing behind his former teammate and best friend.

Kakashi had prepared a chamber within the Hokage monument, which had been Danzo's lair years ago and now had turned into ANBU headquarters when ROOT had been disbanded and converted into something better.

Sasaku slowly opened his eyes, revealing his RinneSharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Sasuke," he heard Naruto say before gulping audibly, "if you see Hima-chan, please…_please_ don't let her out of your sight."

Silence fell between them, while Kakashi and the shadows quietly watched how Sasuke's tense face softened slightly before saying, "I know, Dobe. Now let's get this over with."

Naruto grinned steadily before placing his hands flat on Sasuke's back.

Sasuke flipped a few hand signs as a response when he felt Naruto's huge amount of chakra flow through his veins, he threw the last signs and the circular seal on the ground lit up.

"Remember what we have discussed, Sasuke. Time isn't something to mess with and time isn't very forgiving with change. Remember keep the timeline consistent and don't be an external force, remain hidden to the world." Kakashi's voice rose as wind spontaneously appeared, howling like a raging storm.

Sasuke simply nodded.

Naruto watched as a tear in space swallowed Sasuke and the light of the seal gradually lessened, not without sucking Naruto's chakra like a hungry beggar. Good thing Naruto was a chakra bank.

And when Sasuke's chakra signature really disappeared, not a trace left, Naruto let one-week's fatigue overwhelm his body.

Without them knowing, Sasuke woke up with his small look alike shaking him awake, shouting, "Madara-nii!"

OXOXOXO

**I know! What a cliffhanger indeed!**

**I would have continued writing this but my bloodshot eyes and tired brain won the war over my desire to write this chapter.**

**Sorry and thank you very much for waiting! This time, I feel like answering all the comments of chapter four and let you know what I think of your questions.**

**I still have two more weeks before my On-The-Job training will be cleared. **

**I hope War Flower readers still have the patience to wait for the next chapter. THANK YOU FOR READING! AND DO TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS CHAPTER. (I appreciate your thoughts and reviews.)**

**Well, I would love to tag everyone's name but I'm writing this on my phone so I can't list ya all. I'll just answer what I do remember.**

** youknowyourself: **Thanks, I also like the title 'War Flower". To be honest, the title has been a sudden thought when I posted the first chapter. Now that I think about it, it does fit the story.

** youknowyourself: m**y fav character in Naruto series is Naruto and Ero-Jiraiya. I love their dynamic and relationship the most. It's the cutest and comedic familial love I have ever adored.

youknowyourself: the poetic something at the beginning of the story is like the summary of the story. Hahaha (not really sure myself).


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